Fine
by renee321
Summary: This is a pre-X-Files story focusing on the Scully family. Mulder is not involved in this story. Details in an authors note in the first chapter.
1. The Morning

A Note: I've decided to ignore the evidence presented in "Beyond the Sea" for the ages of the Scully children, it's just too complicated. Instead I am using assumed ages based on the "Christmas Carol" episode where the actor playing young Bill Jr. was clearly playing someone at least a few years older than the young Dana character. Since we never really meet Charlie, but know that he and Bill Jr. gave Dana a BB gun one year when she was still young, I place his age at no more than 2 years her junior. Melissa, as evidenced from the show, is about 2 years older than Dana. Therefore, for this story, I've decided on the following facts regarding the children's ages: Bill Scully Jr. is 13, Melissa Scully is 10, Dana Scully is 8 and Charles Scully is 7. Please accept the 3-2-1 age differences as a personal reference for the author who celebrates her birthday on March 21st. Another thing I'd like to make clear is the status of William Scully as head of the household. He, as many military men of the time have been described, is strict in this story, expecting close adherence to the rules he sets forth, but is not abusive. I do not buy any of this child abuse crap that I see in other stories, particularly relating to the Mulder family, but as they're not involved in this story, I'll just make it clear that this will not be an avenue I visit here.

Also, disclaimers all around. I didn't create any of the characters (so far) in this story.

* * *

The day began as normal. Margaret woke up around 5:30am to prepare breakfast for her husband and children. He would be going on a tour (of duty) the following day, and she wanted everything to be perfect for his last breakfast with the whole family. She'd known when she married him that it might be difficult to deal with her husbands prolonged absences, but had gotten used to it and found great comfort in her Ladies Group meetings that she and some of the other Navy wives had weekly. As the waffle iron worked its magic, she began frying up the bacon for the morning feast. A shiver ran down her spine when she felt William press his lips into her neck. She gave a smile and kissed him back before turning back to her breakfast preparations. The children would be awake soon, and if not they would be turned out of their beds by her husband. He insisted on order and part of that order was the necessity that the family eat at least 2 meals a day together on days when he was home. For them this meant rising by 6am and being at the table by 6:15am to correspond with his schedule on the base, which had him leaving the house at 6:45am sharp.

The boys generally needed more help tidying their room in the morning then did the girls, but it was the girls who seemed to have the most trouble being up and ready by 6:15. Dana, who was clearly her fathers favorite, was generally the first one at the table while Missy required some coaxing just to get her out of bed. Bill Jr. and Charlie would always arrive right on time, but they were a sight, and the condition of their bedroom was normally the source of arguments between the eldest child and the father. As for this day, all the children wanted to impress their father, they knew he would be leaving them for a long time the next day and wanted to experience only the best with their father before he left.

"Good morning, mom. Sir." Bill Jr. greeted his parents as he brought the paper to his father from the porch. The first one downstairs, he was proud of the smile he received from his father as he saluted. He was 5 minutes ahead of schedule and knew this would please the Naval Captain.

"Hi dad!" Charlie called as he ran full speed at his father, anticipating a welcomed reception to his neat and fully dressed appearance. The boy had even remembered to make his bed that day, along with his older brother, and couldn't wait to spread the good news. "I made my bed this morning, dad!"

"That's a good sailor." William said as he patted the boy on the head, returning to his paper. Margaret glanced up at the ceiling, wondering what was keeping her two daughters; she didn't want anything to be thrown off course that day. "Bill, where are your sisters?"

"I don't know, sir." He replied, amazed that for once he was at the table before Dana. She always seemed to have the edge on him when it came to time management, and how an 8-year-old had gotten that edge he had no idea.

"We're here daddy." Missy said with a smile on her face as she led the way into the kitchen. She quickly got the plates and began setting them into their places on the kitchen table; it was Dana's turn to set the silverware out. Quietly and efficiently the girls set the table before taking their places on either side of the table. Melissa sat at her mothers right side, while Dana sat at her fathers right; Charlie was seated next to Dana and Bill Jr. sat across the table from her. It was a constant reminder to her not to upset her older brother at the table or her shins would surely show it in the bruises she'd receive from a swift kick under the table. Margaret brought the food to the table and began serving her family, William first, of course. That day there would be waffles, eggs, bacon and orange juice for the morning feast. The adults sipped coffee quietly and the children each got a glass of milk to work on while they waited to be served.

"Bill, are you prepared for your math test today?" William asked. His objective was to ascertain their status for the coming day so they and he would know what to expect at their dinner conversation.

"Yes sir." He replied as he swallowed a piece of the waffle that had been smeared with butter and drenched in syrup.

"And Melissa, I believe you have a paper to turn in today?" he didn't expect much from this child, or not as much as from the other more serious students.

"Yes dad, I finished it last night." Melissa replied as she cut into her pile of eggs. "I didn't finish reviewing my spelling on it yet, but mom said she'd help me before school."

"That's fine, that's fine." He replied. His Starbuck appeared to be avoiding his eyes and he wondered just why she would be so quiet and distant but thought better of questioning her and simply moved on to Charlie. "Charlie?"

"I don't have any tests today, but I want a peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich, please." He said, wondering what exactly he was supposed to have said when his father questioned him. A piece of bacon came flying out of his mouth and onto his sister Dana's plate, obvious to the entire party who'd gathered at the table. He giggled, "Sorry Dana."

Dana merely pushed her plate back, looking towards her mother with pleading eyes, "May I be excused, please?"

"Dana, you've hardly touched your food," William admonished. "Your mother worked very hard on this meal and you'll eat it."

"Yes sir," she sighed. Slowly she pulled her plate back into its place and cut into the dry waffle to extract the bit of unwanted bacon off from the rest of her meal. The conversation continued; even as Dana sat, engrossed in her own little world of breakfast food she knew that things were being decided. The last thing she wanted was to make a fuss, her Ahab would not be pleased if she disturbed the morning family rituals, but out of necessity she repeated her earlier question, "May I please be excused?"

The conversation stopped, everyone turning to look at the suddenly shy girl who stared hopelessly into her lap as she prepared for a lecture. She had interrupted William in one of his anecdotes about the Navy. This was not the right way to begin a plea for mercy, and she regretted having opened her mouth. Before her husband had a chance to react Margaret Scully opened her mouth, hoping that for once a reply other than 'fine' would be given as the answer to her question. "Dana, are you all right?"

"I'm fine." She replied solemnly without hesitation.

"Dana Katherine Scully, when I give an order I expect it to be followed. Now, if you insist on interrupting breakfast, why don't you clear your plate and go to your room until it's time for school. This act of insubordination will be dealt with when I get home." The rest of the children at the table sat silently, shocked that their sister had actually been on the receiving end of one of their fathers infamous lectures.

"Yes sir." She replied as she slowly pushed her chair back and carried her still full plate to the kitchen sink. The glass of milk followed and when she'd finished she walked out of the kitchen, eyes towards the floor, and began the climb towards the bedroom she shared with her sister.

The conversation never truly became normal again as the Scully clan finished their meal in almost total silence. William bid farewell to his family as he walked out the door, pausing to glance up the stairs. What had happened to his little Starbuck? He wasn't looking forward to returning home that night, knowing he'd have to punish her in order to maintain the control he had over the household.

Margaret surveyed the table and her children, who were disappointed when breakfast was concluded without the same excitement it had begun, noting that supper needed to be about 50 times better to makeup for the events at breakfast. "Bill, you and Charlie will clear the table and do the dishes this morning. You've got about 20 minutes before the school bus arrives and I expect them to be washed and dried."

"Yes ma'am." The boys replied in unison as they jumped out of their seats and began to clear the table.

"Missy, why don't you go and get your paper for me, I'll check your spelling." She said, turning towards her daughter, the one who was still at the table.

"Yes ma'am." She said as she followed her mother's instructions, wondering if there would be any time to correct the spelling before she had to turn the paper in. She supposed it would be possible to complete on the bus ride to school, but hoped that she wouldn't have many to do all the same. As she ascended the stairs she wondered what she'd say to her little sister. Walking through the door, she saw Dana sitting at their desk, head down. "You're in a lot of trouble, you know."

"I know." Dana responded quietly.

"Why'd you do it?" Melissa asked as she picked up her paper and a pencil for her mother to use. Before Dana could answer, their mother called up to Melissa that she needed to hurry up about it and Melissa left saying, "I'm so glad I'm not you."

Any other day the younger might have replied to the older with something clever to the juvenile mind like, 'I'm glad I'm not you either' or 'You wish you were me', but that day she simply sighed and put her head back down onto the desk and whispered, "I know."

It seemed like seconds to Dana, when in reality it had been a quarter of an hour, when she heard her mother approach her. "Dana, I've been calling you for a couple of minutes. It's time to get ready for school, young lady. Your daddy has the car and I don't have time to walk you to the bus stop so you need to be ready when the school bus gets here; am I clear?"

Dana nodded and slid off the desk chair, moving towards the door silently as she bent down to pick up her book-bag, which had been packed the night before. She wanted to break down and tell her mother everything, but that would be showing weakness, she had to be strong. She couldn't let her guard down, everything needed to be fine for Ahab and her brothers and sister. As she turned to leave, Margaret approached her once again, she knew there was something not right with her daughter, "Dana, are you sure…"

"I'm fine." She responded before the question had even been asked and walked down the hall towards the stairs where she could see her brothers knocking each other around playfully as they descended the stairs to wait at the front door for their bus. The school uniforms required by the sometimes too strict Catholic school the children attended had to be pressed and clean before wear. Any wrinkles had to be ironed out, and Margaret took great care to ensure her children would leave the house looking as prim and proper as possible. Dana and Melissa were dressed in white blouses with traditional peter pan collars. They had navy blue jumpers, white knee socks and Mary Janes; to complete the look, both girls had their fiery red hair clipped out of their faces to the right. The boys had long navy pants, white collared shirts and grey vests. Their hair was simple, clean cut and combed, and socks and shoes consisted of simple black socks and polished shoes.


	2. The Afternoon

In her mind, Margaret Scully never seemed to be able to reconcile the amount of work that needed to be done with the number of hours her children were in school during the day. The 3o'clock deadline seemed to mercilessly creep up on her everyday, and she'd never quite finished her list of things to do before her four babies ran into the house with plenty of pent up energy. That day she'd decided on a pot roast for supper, one of her husband's favorites, and it was already in the oven when the four children arrived home. Charles was inside first, tearing up the stairs so that he could change into play clothes. Bill Jr. was next, taking the stairs two at a time as he shouted a greeting to his mother who had emerged from the kitchen when she heard the front door slam open. Melissa was in her own little world as she twirled through the door with a goofy grin on her face. She began walking up the stairs, and ever so solemnly Dana followed. "Dana, I think you should stay in your room until your daddy gets home."

Dana paused on the steps, turning to her mother with her mouth just beginning to form words before she hung her head once again and said, "Yes ma'am." She continued her slow climb up the stairs as Bill Jr. and Charlie quickly ran back down them.

"Bill, Charlie, did you hang up your uniforms?" Margaret asked, suspicious of the speed with which they'd changed and returned down the stairs.

"Yes ma'am!" they answered in unison with enthusiasm. Bill Jr., who'd hoped to be allowed to ride his bike to a friend's house, spoke first, "Mom, can I ride to Tim's house? There's this creek that…"

"Bill, it's the night before your father ships out. I don't want anyone going out before supper." Margaret scolded. Seeing the defeated looks on the faces of her sons she continued her speech by adding the stipulation, "You two may go out in the back and practice shooting tin cans if you are back in the house in 2 hours."

The joy was apparent on the faces of the two boys as they rushed towards the back porch to retrieve their guns and prepare to destroy the tin cans they used for target practice. As Margaret watched the boys run out, she turned her attention back to the preparations for supper. There was still more to be done, including peeling, washing and boiling potatoes, preparing green beans and baking rolls. When Melissa approached her with a face comparable to the one she'd seen on her younger daughter she asked, "Missy, what's wrong?"

"What did Dana do that she has to stay up there all alone?" the concern in Melissa's eyes was unavoidable, and Margaret didn't know how to respond to her empathetic daughter.

"Missy, you can ask Dana if she'd like to help us peel some potatoes for supper," knowing that the idea of cooking with their mother was still something that excited her daughters, "if she'd like to help prepare supper she doesn't need to sit in her room."

Melissa smiled and ran up the stairs to retrieve her sister. Minutes later she returned, thumping her feet down on each stair. She entered the kitchen alone and took a seat at the table where Margaret was laying out a bucket of potatoes and the bowl of water to place them in once they'd been peeled. "She doesn't want to."

"That's all right, we'll just have all the fun ourselves." She attempted to encourage Melissa to look at the potato peeling as a fun activity that she was being permitted to do with her mother. It may not work for many more years, so it was in her best interest to try to keep her children as interested in helping with the household chores as possible. As yet, neither of her daughters had the frame of mind to look at cooking as a chore. Feeling the need to understand her youngest better she asked Melissa, "Did Dana tell you anything? Do you know if anything's wrong?"

"Mom, plenty's wrong, I mean just look at how much she likes school, no normal kid likes school that much." Melissa joked before seeing the displeased look on her mothers face, "No, she didn't say anything to me. She hardly talked to anyone the whole day, even at lunch she just sat there at the table staring off into space. Maybe she's just upset that some girl stole her cupcake."

"That doesn't sound like your sister," Margaret replied, "are you sure someone stole it?"

"Well, I don't know, it's not like I was really watching her the whole lunch period. Maybe she gave it away. All I know is I saw some girl eating her cupcake." Melissa reasoned. "It's not like she ate anything else."

"She didn't eat her lunch?" Margaret asked. She worried about what could be keeping her daughter from eating her meals. She was too young for anything as silly as worrying about her weight, and Margaret knew she wasn't a particularly picky eater, at least not as picky as she could be. She turned back to the potato she was peeling and smiled as she noticed they'd already peeled nearly half of them. Sitting quietly, she listened to Melissa talk ad infinitum about the events of her day and what she had planned for the remainder of the week.

The pot full of potatoes had soon made its way onto the stove and Melissa and Margaret were busy preparing the green beans when they heard footsteps rushing towards the back door. "Mom! Dad's home! Dad's home!" Bill Jr. shouted as he and Charlie stumbled inside.

Margaret smiled to herself and sent the boys to clean themselves up. It was important that they were presentable as was the rest of the house on their fathers return from work. Melissa continued to prepare the beans as Margaret headed for the front door to greet her husband with a hug and a kiss.

"Oh Maggie," he sighed as he gave her a passionate kiss upon entering the house. "What am I going to do without you for so many months?"

"Be miserable I expect." She replied with a grin. Though they'd been married for over 13 years, they sometimes behaved like newlyweds, and she loved those moments in her life when she could ignore everything and simply be in love with her husband. "Supper's in half an hour, Dana's in her room."

"Oh yes. I'd almost forgotten," he said with a sigh. He didn't want to punish his daughter anymore than he'd wanted to earlier, perhaps even less now that he'd returned home for a final meal with his family.

"It must be done Bill, she didn't leave us another option. You know she understands, it can't come as much of a surprise to her." Margaret edged him towards the stairs as she took his coat for him.

"I suppose there's nothing we can do about it now." He conceded as he grimly walked up the stairs towards the door of her room. He hesitated, afraid to find her angry, or worse in tears. Turning the knob, he heard nothing so he pushed the door open and entered, closing the door behind him. Charlie poked his head out of the room down the hall he shared with his older brother, but Bill Jr. yanked him back. This wasn't something they needed to see or hear. "Dana, come over here please."

She scooted herself off the bed she'd lain on for the past couple of hours and walked towards her father, knowing what was coming and accepting it. She wouldn't dare look into his eyes, knowing what she'd see. What he was about to do would hurt him nearly as much as it would hurt her, and she couldn't stand being the one who'd caused him that pain.

"Dana, I know you must have had your reasons for being disobedient, but you failed to share them. I'm giving you one last chance Starbuck," she froze when he used that name, unable to stop a few stray tears from running down her cheeks, "tell me what was so urgent that you felt you had to disrespect your mother and I at the table this morning."

She stood there, unable to speak, waiting to feel a smack against her bottom. After what felt like hours, she heard him sigh. He sat on the bed and pulled her over his lap where he gave her a single soft swat on the bottom. He couldn't cause her more pain then that, and wondered if he was becoming an old softy. Shaking his head he pulled her up off of him and allowed her to go back to the bed she'd been on as he stood and exited the room silently. Disappointment clouded the air, and he wondered if things would improve during the family supper.


	3. Supper

When William arrived at the dining room table he was pleased to find everyone standing behind their chairs with the food set on the table. In the dining room there was an air of formality and his children recognized this. In the dining room their manners seemed to improve tremendously. After allowing him to sit, the family followed suit, then bent their heads and said a prayer of thanks for the meal they were about to consume. When each child had been served, Margaret glanced nervously at Dana, who sat still, napkin in her lap with her hands folded on top. She felt each bite of the warm roast go down like a jagged rock, unable to take her mind off the feeling that something was wrong with her little girl. Noticing his wife's discomfort prompted William to begin the evening questions. "Bill, did you do well on your test today?"

"I believe so, sir." He answered quickly. The tension in the room was pronounced and he could hardly focus on his own favorite, the mashed potatoes with gravy. He swallowed hard before continuing, "We should have our results tomorrow."

"Missy, your essay was turned in I take it? Did your mother find many spelling mistakes?" he asked, trying to stir up some form of conversation.

"Just a few dad, and only the hard words. I think I'll get a B, maybe even a B plus on this one." She said, somehow unsure of her status. Trying to help alleviate the tension between her parents and younger sister she added, "Dana got an A plus on the spelling test she took last week."

"That's wonderful Missy. Was it a difficult spelling test, Dana?" he asked, hoping to receive a reply of more than two words.

"No sir." She choked out. He looked at her, wondering what had happened in the past 24 hours to change her persona so drastically. Looking across the table at his wife for help, she shook her head and waited for him to continue with the inquiry.

"Charlie, tell me what you did in school today." He tried not to sound too commanding, and his son, oblivious to the tension that surrounded him, began the story of his day as only a 7-year-old could.

Margaret ate slowly, keeping her eyes somewhat focused on her still unmoving daughter. She tried to join in the conversation, laughing at a joke Charlie told, while the rest of the family chuckled at the punch line. She could tell he was enjoying being the center of attention, and was nearly drawn out of her place of concern as he continued to bring his day to life at the table. When the quiet voice of her youngest daughter once again caught her attention, she realized she must have been the only one to hear it. She was the only one who suspected what was coming next.

"May I please be excused?" Dana whispered as she stood up, not waiting for a response. The attention of the majority of the table was still focused on Charlie as she began to make her way around the back of Ahab's chair towards the arched entrance to the room.

Margaret watched the events that unfolded in what seemed like slow motion. She stood, almost in a dream, as she saw her daughters face lose all its color. Holding her arm out across the impossibly long table, Margaret shouted to her husband who had just begun to turn his attention to the daughter leaving the table without permission, "Bill! Grab her!"


	4. Fine

_"May I please be excused?" Dana whispered as she stood up, not waiting for a response. The attention of the majority of the table was still focused on Charlie as she began to make her way around the back of Ahab's chair towards the arched entrance to the room._

_Margaret watched the events that unfolded in what seemed like slow motion. She stood, almost in a dream, as she saw her daughters face lose all its color. Holding her arm out across the impossibly long table, Margaret shouted to her husband who had just begun to turn his attention to the daughter leaving the table without permission, "Bill! Grab her!"_

His arm shot out to grab the small body that was suddenly falling towards the floor. Just by chance he managed to secure his arm around her waist, the limp child feeling so light in his strong arms. Seeing his baby sister, whiter than a ghost, faint right in front of him made Bill Jr. jump up from the table and back away from his father who was holding her. Melissa let out a scream and Charlie dropped his fork in shock over what had just taken place. Taking control in emergency situations was something William was excellent at; and as quickly as he'd caught Dana he stood up, holding her in his arms, and surveyed the state of chaos the room had been instantly thrown in to. "Bill, Melissa, Charles, you will sit down and finish your supper. Your sister will be fine and I don't want another word about it from any of you for the rest of the evening. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir." They replied, facing their plates once again as their father carried their sister out of the room. Their eyes moved to Margaret who was moving towards the kitchen; the three children sat bewildered, unable to enjoy their supper.

Margaret shakily walked over to the couch where Dana had been placed. She hated that word, 'fine'; it was a word that was used too much in the family, particularly in the cases of her husband and youngest daughter. Everything was always fine, even when it wasn't. Whether or not her daughter would be fine remained to be seen in her opinion, and she sat down next to her motionless daughter, holding smelling salts under the precious button nose. Almost immediately after the smelling salts had been administered, Dana's eyes flew open and began to dart around the room, searching for an explanation. They settled on Margaret's face, somewhat confused; a look of puzzlement washed over her face, eyebrows slightly raised. "Dana, how are you feeling, sweetheart?"

"I'm fine," she replied, much to the chagrin of her mother. Her father looked somewhat more pleased with the response but something still wasn't right. She continued, "What happened?"

As William was about to answer the question, noises came from the dining room and he reluctantly left his wife's side to investigate, and punish if necessary. Margaret smoothed the slightly damp hair off her child's forehead and said in a soft voice, "You fainted, baby. Did you eat at all today?"

"No ma'am," Dana replied, eyes down, knowing that her mother would be disappointed in her for hiding the truth.

"Would you like to explain to me why not?" she asked in a somewhat more stern tone. It wasn't out of anger, but concern, that she adopted this new way of addressing her child.

"I just," she hesitated. Telling the truth was important, but she still didn't want to upset her father. "I didn't want to upset anyone."

"So you think fainting in the dining room was a good way to keep people from being upset, Dana?" realizing that she'd gotten upset unintentionally, she took a breath before continuing, "I am worried about my little girl, your daddy and I just want to know what's wrong, okay?"

"I just didn't feel good." She gave in to her mothers rationalizing and tried to prevent the tears that felt ready to overflow. "I didn't feel good and I wanted daddy to have the perfect day. If I'm sick it wouldn't be perfect."

"So you didn't tell anyone that you weren't feeling well to protect your father?" her mother questioned, shocked at how caring her daughter had tried to be. To protect her fathers joy, she hid her own feelings. It was a noble, if somewhat idiotic, reason for being less than truthful. "Well, I think you've earned yourself a trip to the doctors tomorrow, but for tonight why don't we kiss your daddy goodnight and get into bed."

"Mommy?" she hesitated until she had her mothers focused attention again. "I… well… I'm…"

"You're too tired to go up the stairs by yourself?" she asked with a smile as Dana reluctantly nodded in agreement. Having her stubborn child admit weakness was something she'd hoped would happen someday, but never expected it to come so readily. Picking up her tired, ill daughter, Margaret carried her into the dining room to give her other children proof that their sister was all right. What she found was the three of them still sitting in their places, receiving a lecture from their father. It was clear there had been an argument, but not clear what exactly had happened. She would certainly get the full story later that night after all the children had retired to their beds. "Your daughter wants to say goodnight."

"How's my little girl?" he asked, stroking her cheek as its mirror rested against her mother's shoulder.

"Fine." She gave a small smile. While her mother never appreciated the subtleties of the term 'fine', her father had practically invented the reason for its usage and he expected nothing less from his little prodigy. "Smooth sailing, Ahab."

"Goodnight Starbuck." He said, knowing he wouldn't see her for another 6 months. The hour he'd be leaving the house in the morning required that all goodbyes take place before bed for his children.


End file.
